A Picture
by Gentle Breezes
Summary: One-shot. Takes place during Jak III. People often tell him that this picture is useless or makes no sense, or whatever. Her hair's in the way of her face after all. But to him, no other picture of Keira tops this one. This one will always be precious.


**Disclaimer: **Naughty Dog Inc. owns all the Jak games, and I don't own anything, pfft.

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><p>"Photo of your girl back home?" a voice said behind him. Jak started a bit, then turned his gaze from the picture in his hand to look at the ruler of Spargus, Damas, standing beside him.<p>

He hesitated for a moment, not sure about whether to let this guy in on this more personal aspect of his life. Oh well, he was stuck here for who knows how long anyway. "...Yeah," he said after a moment.

The man leaned over to look at the picture, his expression quizzical. "Don't people usually keep clear pictures?"

Jak looked back at the picture in his hand, a little exasperation rising in his system. "Yeah, usually," he said neutrally.

When people look at this picture they don't know why he keeps it because it's not much to look at. It's a picture of Keira, beautiful figure caught in the motion of surprise, but her hair is in the way of her face, thus obscuring her expression. Most everyone says it's a picture taken with bad timing. He thinks differently.

It had been shortly after the first war for Haven City, and everyone had naturally been enjoying the peace time. Jak was strolling around the city with Daxter and Keira to see how things were being rebuilt, wandering through the slums toward downtown on foot and talking casually. Daxter had brought along a picture-capture device, or "camera" as the Havenites called it, and he was going crazy with it. Every time Jak turned to look around, Daxter would be in his line of vision trying to take pictures of everything (and himself), making loud comments about how many hot chicks there were, pointing a camera toward each after the fact. Jak and Keira had, of course, exchanged an eye roll right after that comment, followed promptly by another when he saw Tess and ran toward her in a flurry of madness.

The four of them continued walking around, Tess and Daxter talking to each other in the most ridiculous way possible while Daxter himself kept taking pictures. Eventually everyone started snatching the camera and taking turns snapping some pictures. Tess took a picture of Daxter in a "cool" pose. Daxter took a picture of Tess with him. Keira, not surprisingly enough, took many pictures of speeders, and a few pictures of flowers. And as for Jak, he himself took pictures of things like trees or just the sky; things that reminded him he and everyone else were finally free. It was nice to see things starting to look up.

When it was the middle of the day the group had decided to go toward the vendor's section of the city to eat something. It was Jak's turn for the camera, though he didn't know what to take a picture of next. He watched Keira walking in front of him a little ways away, content despite the fact that she was stuck in this broken city, smiling because she was happy to be reunited with her father. And, to his surprise, she had been happy to be reunited with him, even though he was…what he was. He smiled slowly, tenderly, contentment flowing through every inch of him.

Then he grinned deviously and held up the camera.

"Keira!"

At hearing her named called she spun around in surprise, and he snapped the camera's button. But, as luck would have it, he caught everything just fine but her face, which was partially covered by her teal hair. The only thing visible was her pair of wide eyes, twinkling with something between slight shock and pleasant surprise. She was smiling when she spun around completely, and when he made a face at how the picture had turned out she laughed at him, telling him just to take another one. So he did, albeit a little embarrassment at being caught. He did his best not to let her see him fumble with the camera button as she stood and smiled sweetly for him, and commanded his cheeks not to turn red when she laughed again and leaned over his arm to see if it turned out alright, her ear brushing against his for a moment.

He made developed and kept both pictures, and she would always ask him why he kept the first one. His friends would also ask why he kept a picture of her that didn't even show her face. His explanation, though not uttered to anyone else except for himself, is that he hadn't capture everything he'd wanted in the second picture. Of course she was beautiful. Of course he loved her smile. But in the first photo, he had managed to catch a glimpse of a person he'd barely started to get to know again. No one but him would ever know about the smile behind those strands of hair, the light dancing in her eyes at being surprised in one of the most innocent ways. No one except him would ever know of the happiness that she got from the little moments when he managed to show her that yes, he may be different now, but he was still Jak, the guy who always had always known how make her smile and still could. It's his own, personal reminder that he still has a place in her life, and that he always has.

This picture has been one of his only comforts while being stuck in Spargus. Damas had turned away to talk to some guards, and Jak brushed his fingers across the face on the paper, willing it to come to life before him just for a moment. Sometimes he tried to convince himself that this picture really was a failure, taken in the spur of the moment and not sufficient evidence of anything. But whenever he recalls how he felt as she spun around to look at him, he just can't think of it any other way.

At that moment the king asks Jak a question about metal head activity, and he sets his expression to its usual sternness as he answers, tucking the picture into his shirt. But right before he does so, he takes on last look at the picture and Keira's lively eyes. And he smiles, very briefly, without restraint.

It really was a good picture.

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><p><strong>AN:** I'm sure this has happened (or will happen) to everyone at least once in their lives, though not exactly with a picture. You most likely have one thing that you keep because there's a precious memory tied to it, but nobody else understands why you keep said thing.

When I started writing for the Jak games, I had actually intended to write something Jak/Keira first, but I ended up spewing out Torn/Ashelin stuff. So now I'm finally back on track! Hahahaha!

Let me know your thoughts on this. Reviews are golden, critiques are beautiful. Thank you for reading!


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